Lamp



R. GRAF Dec. 11", 192s.

LAMP

Filed 'July 29, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l vme. 11, 192s, 1,694,592

R. GRAF LAMP Filed July 29. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n 9 [HW/22W g fifa/2m @mf 2. www

Patented Dec. 11, 192@e UNETE S' RICHARD GRAF, 0F SOUTH BEND, NDANA, ASSGNOR T0 GRAF-LITE CORPORATION, OF CHECAG, ILLXNOS, 1 RPORATIGN 0F ILLINOIS.

LAMP.

Application filed July 29,

My invention relates particularly to head lamps such as are used on automobilesl The general objects ot the invention reside in the provision oi a lamp which while projecting an adequate and ethcient light so controls the light as to prevent glare in the eyes of occupants of other vehicles or pedestrians facing a vehicle equipped with. the lamp, which is so constructed to be manufactured with facility, and which is easily and conveniently assembled and taken apart for cleaning, repair, or replacement.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said features and cer tain other fea-tures, hereinafter appearing are eected, all as fully described with reiterw ence to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the said drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lamp embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line l-t of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a partial view on the line l-d oi? Figure 1 with parts removed.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6 6 of Figure 3.

Like characters oit reference indicate like 4parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings the casing of the lamp consists of a rear casing part 1 and a front casing part 2, these two parts, as shown, forming major portions or' the lamp casing and forming the casing circular in cross section and generally elliptical in longitudinal section. See Figures 1 and 2. An exterior mounting bracket 3 at the bottom of the lamp is secured to the rear casing part 1 by a single Vrivet t and extends forwardly across the adjoining edges oi: the casing parts and overlies the front casing part. A transversely split bandk 5 surrounds the casing parts 1 and 2 at the adjoining edges thereof and is outwardly ribbed therealong thus forming an .inwardly facing groove 6 eXtending therealong, and the adjoining edges of the casing parts are flared outwardly, as des ignated at 7, and are interlockingly engaged 1926. Serial No. 125,634

in the grooves 6. See Figures 3 and 4. The ends o1 the band 5 are turned outwardly, as designated at 8, and are secured against re speetive sides of the aforementioned .toi1` wardly .extended portion of the bracket 3 by means of headed screws 9 passing through respective ends oi the band and serew-theaded into this portion of the bracket, whereby the band is clamped about the casing parts. Thus are the casing parts rigidly secured together by a simple and effective structure which provides a light-tight and dust-eX- cluding joint and permits of theconvenient removal of the casing parts one from the other.

The front casing part 2 is provided with a central opening at'its front end, and this opening is internally `hanged at the rear end thereof, as designated at 11, and undercut forwardly of this iiange, as designated at 12, to provide a shouldered undercut opening. See Figure 3. A condensing lens 13 is mounted in this opening in the following manner. The lens seated in the shouldered opening with a gasket 14 oi suitable material interposed between it and the wall of the opening, and a. split spring ring 15 is engaged in the undercut portion 12 et the opening on the opposite side oi the lens to secure the lens against the iiange 11 with the gasket 1d therebetween. The ring 15 has the ends thereof turned radially outwardly, as designated at `16, and engaging apertures 17 in the casing wall at said undercut portion 12 of the opening. See Figures 2 and 3. j Thus is the lens mounted, and it will beobserved that thering 15 is securely held in place against accidental release from the undercut portion 12 by the engagementof the ends 16 ot the ring in the apertures 17, though the ring `is easily assembled in the lens opening and removed therefrom.

Disposed rearwardly within the rear casing part 1 in axial alinement'with the lens 13 is a forwardly facing light concentrating cup reflector 18 having a focus therein. The reflector is provided with a conventional electric lamp socket 19, disposed on the axis of the reflector and adjustable longitudinally there of, and mounted in this socket is a usualelectric lamp 21 adjusted by adjustmentot the socket to said focus of the reflector. The saidl adjustment of said socket and lamp is controlled' from the exterior ofthe lamp by a suitable mechanisn'i generally indicated at 2L. See Figure 3.V

'lhe rear focus of the lens 13 is disposed Substantially at the transverse plane of the adjoining cde'cs of the casing parts 1 and 2 forwardly ofthereflector 18, and a light shield 23 surrounding the focal axis of the lamp is disposed within the casing between the reflector and lens and has a relatively small centrally disposed horizontally elongated light aperture 24 substantially at said rear focus of the lens. From this aperture the shield extends and enlarges rearwardly with an interior generally frusto-conical reflecting surface 13 to the lip of the reector, this reflecting surface corresponding in cross section at the front thereof with the shape of said aperture 24 and gradually merging rearwardly therefrom into a circular cross section. See Figures 3 and 4.

The reflector 18 and shield 23 are carried with the rear casing part 1 independently of the front casing part 2 in the following manner. See Figures 3 and 4. The reflector is provided with an exterior circumferential flange 25, and the rear end of the shield 23 is provided with an exterior circumferential flange 26. See Figures 3 and 4. A plurality of brackets 27 are secured on the interior of the rear casing part l and are spaced about said flanges 25 and 26, and the projecting portions of these brackets are formed so that they are interiorly grooved circumferentially about said flanges, as designated at 28. The rear surface of the flange 25 of the reflector engages against the forwardly facing surfaces of these groove formations 28, and the flange 26 of the shield engages rearwardly against the flange 25 of the reflector', and a retractible spring ring 29 is engaged in the groove formati ons 28 in front of the flange 26 of the shield for securing the flanges 25 and 26 together and on the brackets 28, the arrangement being such that the ring 29 clamps the flanges together and on the brackets. Thus are the reflector 13 and shield 23 secured in the rear casing part in a manner whereby they can be easily removed from and assembled with the rear casing part.

The flanges 25 and 26 are correspondingly circumferentially ribbed forwardly as designated at 31, whereby they are of angular' radial section and whereby the front surface of the flange 25 is angled radially and the rear surface of the flange 26 is correspondingly angled radially, these engaging surfaces as so formed forming a simple and effective light-tight joint.

rEhe shield 23 is provided at the lower portion of the edge of the light aperture 24 thereof with spaced lugs 32 formed integrally therewith, and these lugs pass through apertures cfa rectangular shield plate 33'and are bent over thefront face of this shield plate to secure the same in a transverse plane on the shie.d member 23 at the aperture 24 thereof. See Figures 3, 4, and 5. This shield plate is disposed to present a horizontal upper edge and close the lower part of the lower portion of the aperture 24, and the si de edge portions of this shield plate are turned rearwardly, as designated at 34, to trap light passing transversely between the edge of the aperture 24 and the shield plate. il second rectangular shield plate 35 is disposed in parallelism with and immediately in front of the shield plato 33 and is carried thereon for vertical movement in the following manner. A pair of headed studs 36 pass through transversely spaced vertical slots 37 in the shield plate 35 and are secured to the plate 33 whereby the plate 35 is carried for vertical movement.

he shield plate 35 is disposed to present a horizontal upper edge, and the side edge portions thereof are turned rearwardly, as designated at 38, in overlying relation with the side edge portions 34 of the shield plate 33 for vertically guiding the shield plate 35 and to trap any lightpassing transversely between the shield plates. rllhe lower edge portion of the shield plate 35 is also turned rearwardly, as designated at 39, to trap any light passing downwardly between the shield plates. The rear faces of the shield plates 33 and 35 are reflecting surfaces for reflecting light rearwardly into the enclosure of the reflector 18 and shield 23 for the re-reflection thereof for utilizing the same.

i revolubly vertically disposed headed screw f 1 extends upwardly through the portion of the mounting bracket 3 overlying the front casing part 2, and is longitudinally confined by the head thereof engaging a. lower surface of the bracket and a nut 42 screwthreaded on the screw and craniped against the lower end of the thread thereof and engaging the upper surface of the bracket 3. See Figure 3. A second nut 43 is engaged with the thread of the screw 41 above the nut 42, and is provid ed with a lateral proj ection 44 releasably engaged in an aperture through the lower portion of the shield plate 35. The engagement of this projection 44 with this aperture f the shield plate prevents rotation of the nut 43, so that rotation of the screw 41 effects vertical adjustment of the shield plate 35 for purposes hereinafter alipearing. rlhus the plate 35 vertically adjusted from the exterior of the lamp by reason of the exposed head of the screw 41, and a set screw 45 is screwthreaded into the mounting` bracket 3 for engagement with the screw 41 to releasably secure the screw 41 against rotation whereby to fix the adjustment of the shield plate 35.

'lhe front casing part 2 is provided with an opening 46 extending forwardly from the rear edge thereof for the accommodation of the screw 41 and nut 42 and to permit the removal of the front casing part from the rear casingl part and the assembly of the same therewith without'disturbing the screw 4l or its related parts, See Figures 3 and 6.

The mounting bracket 3 is grooved transversely as designated at e7 for the accommodation of the flared edges 7 of the casing parts.

lt will be ol'iservedrthat the front casing part 2 may be removed from the rear casing part l and assembled therewith without distui-hing the parts mounted on or carried with the rear casing part, thus providing for convenient accessibility. It will be further observed that the major parts are constructed so that they are not difficult to manufacture, this particularly with reference to the manufacture of the casing parts l and 2 and the shield 23 from sheet metal by drawing processes. f

In operation direct light from the lamp 2l and reflected light from rthe reflector passes forwardly out of the light aperture 24C of the shield 23 to the condensing lens 13, and the condensing lens projects a sharply defined in tense beam of lighthaving areversed cross section of the aperture 24:, as altered by the shield plates 33 and 35, by reasonfof the fact that the aperture 24 and the shield plates 33 and 35 are disposed substantially at the rear focal plane of the lens. Thus the top of the beam is flat and when the lamp is mounted on an automobile the adjustment is made so that the top of the beam is substantially parallel with the roadway and disposed below the eye level of pedestrians and the occupants of other vehicles. extends from the lamp downwardly at an acute angle to the roadway and illuminates the same a considerable distance ahead of the automobile. By reason of the horizontal elongation of the aperture 24 a limited lateral spread of the light is effected for properly illuminating` the roadway. In addition a dispersed light is projected for the illumination of the roadway immediately adjacent the lamp.

It will be observed that the interior reflecting surfaces of the shield 23 and shield plates and 35 particularly the shield 23, conserve the light by the reflection thereof and that an adequate and controlled light is projected with obvious advantage. j

lVhile I have herein shown and particnlarly described the preferred embodiment of my invention l do not wish to be' limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following f i. in a. lamp the combination of a casing, a. forwardly facing cup reflector in the casing and provided with an exterior cireumn ferential iiange of angular radial sectien, a

The lower part of this beam n tubular light shield in the casing'in front of the reflector and providedwith an exterior circumferential flange of correspondingy angular radial section adapted to engage against said flange of the reflector to form a light ytight joint therewith, a 'plurality of brackets spaced about said flanges and secured to the interior of said casing and interiorly grooved circumferentially about said flanges, and a retractable spring ring engageable in the groove of said brackets for securing said flanges in overlying relation on said brackets for the mounting of the reflector and shield.

2. In a lamp the combination of a casing comprising front and rear casing parts releasably secured together, a forwardly facing cup reflector disposed rearwardly in said rear casing part and having a focus therein, a source of light at said focus of the reflector and carried therewith, a condensing lens mounted in an opening in the forward end of said front casing part and having its rear focus disposed forwardly of said reflector and source of light, a light shield in the casing in front of said reflector and surrounding the focal axis of the lamp and having a forwardly disposed relatively small light aperture coordinated with the focal axis of the lamp and disposed substantially at the rear focus of the lens and extending and enlarging rearwardly therefrom with an interior reflecting surface to the lip of said reflector, means carrying said reflector and shield on said rear casing part independently of said front casing'part, a second shield member disposed in a transverse plane substantially at the rear focus of said lens and movably carried on the forward end of said first mentioned shield for varying said light aperture, and means operable from the exterior of the casing and carried with said rear casing p-art independently of said front casing part for adjustably positioning said second shield member.

3. In a lamp the combination with a casing comprising front and rear casing part-s releasably secured together, an exterior mounting bracket at the bottom of the casing and secured with said rear casing part and eX tending across the adjoining edges of said cas ing parts and overlying said front casing part, a tubular light shield arranged longitudinally within said rear casing part and provided with a relatively small light opening at its front end disposed substantially in the plane of the adjoining redges of said front and rear casino' parts, means releasable carrying said shield with said rear casing part, a second shield member carried with said first mentioned shield for removal therewith and disposed transversely at said lightv opening and mounted. for vertical adjustment in its plane for varying the lower portion of said lightopening, a revoluble verticallydisposed screw extending through the portion of said bracket overlying` said front easing part and into said easing and operable from the exterior of said bracket, seid front easing part beingv provided with un opening extending forwardly from the rear edge thereof through which sii-id screw extends and permitting the removal o'l this front easing part, and a nut engaged with said screw Within The casing and provided with n lateral pre- 'eetion enezieed in an o eninO in said Second 10 D D 2D In Witness Whereol I hereunto aiiix my 15 nature this twenty-fourth day of July, 1926.

RICHARD GRAF. 

